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BACK TO BACK RUN OF SHOWS AT LEEDS GRAND THEATRE

Leeds Grand Theatre is getting ready to welcome six months of back to back productions; featuring comedy, drama, musicals and dance there is a heady mix heading to Leeds – and it kicks off somewhat spectacularly next week with La Cage aux Folles.

Many will remember the 1996 film version called ‘Birdcage’ which starred Robin Williams, Nathan Lane and Gene Hackman though the original 1983 Broadway production was based on the 1973 French play of the same name by Jean Poiret and received nine Tony Award nominations winning six.  It spawned a West End production but has never toured the UK – until now.

Georges is the manager of a Saint Tropez nightclub, his partner Albin is a drag artiste and the club’s star attraction. They live an idyllic existence in the south of France until Georges’ son Jean-Michel announces his engagement to the daughter of a notorious politician; a politician who is determined to shut down the local colourful night-life.

La Cage Aux Folles comes to Leeds on its first ever UK Tour and takes to the stage at The Grand Theatre from Tuesday 21st to Saturday 25^th March starring John Partridge (EastEnders, Chicago), Adrian Zmed (TJ Hooker, Grease 2) and Marti Webb (Tell Me On A Sunday, Evita).

The lavishly funny tale of unconditional love and family values reminds all to celebrate that life’s not worth a damn ‘till you can say I am what I am.’

Hot on the high heels of La Cage aux Folles come comedians Sean Lock, Count Arthur Strong, Jon Richardson and Joel Dommett; drama with Shirley Valentine, A Judgement in Stone and Jane Eyre; concerts with Jane McDonald, Thriller Live, The Solid Silver 60s Show and Shakin’ Stevens and musicals with Mamma Mia!, Thoroughly Modern Millie and The Wedding Singer. 

For more information on future productions, dates and ticket prices visit leedsgrandtheatre.com

La Cages aux Folles is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Monday 20^th to Saturday 25^th March

Tickets are on sale now priced from £22.50 to £41.50

Book online at leedsgrandtheatre.com or call Box Office on 0844 848 2700

Lindisfarne Christmas Shows are back!

Newcastle City Hall

Friday 22 and Saturday 23 December 2017

Tickets on sale Wednesday 15 March from 11am

An evening packed with legendary songs and a few surprises – don’t miss the Fog on the Tyne hit-makers on their home turf.

North East folk-rock legends Lindisfarne will be returning to the City Hall this Christmas to entertain us with their legendary festive Christmas show.  With well over 100 wonderful nights at the City Hall, the Lindisfarne Christmas Show has become a must see seasonal celebration and a North East tradition.

Lindisfarne have long viewed the City Hall as their home, so we are happy to welcome them back and celebrate Christmas 2017.

Lindisfarne play Newcastle City Hall on Friday 22 and Saturday 23 December 2017. Tickets on sale from Wednesday 15 March at 11am.  Tickets from £24.50 and can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box office on 08448 11 21 21 (Calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge).

Grand Opera House, York – 14 March 2017 and on tour around the UK

The joy of reviewing is that sometimes you enter a theatre expecting very little but you leave having received it all.  And this gem of a show is good example.  Yes it was cheesy, but it was nostalgic and incredibly entertaining.

I did think I was too young to be a fan, and the audience was predominately made up of women of a certain age, but there were younger people there who had found the Roller sound.

With tartan on stage, on the performers, on the instruments and a sea of tartan in the audience, just under two hours of enjoyment commences when McKeown hits the stage.  With his Rollers consisting of Phil Hendricks and Si Mulvey on guitar, Scott McGowan on keyboards and Dan Guest on drums.  The first half consists of the lesser known Roller songs and a tribute to some of the 70’s idols no longer with us – hits from Queen, T-Rex, The Sweet, Mud and David Bowie.  McKeown jokes that he may add to the tribute in next years tour depending on who may have departed – and the band joke it may be a tribute to him

McKeown’s voice is still as strong and rich as it was in the 70’s and when he talks to the audience between songs he is very charismatic and entertaining.  Regaling the audience with tales and anecdotes.

With some new stuff thrown in with the old, we get to hear some of the songs McKeown wrote in the 70’s but never made it to the recording studio.  This has now been rectified and and a new album, The Lost Songs, is available to download whilst he’s singing according to McKeown – something some of the audience are happy to do

After a blazing version of S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night its interval time so the band can have “a cup of Earl Grey and a bourbon biscuit” and we can have a breath of fresh air as the heat in the auditorium felt like the audience was having a collective hot flush.

The second half brings us the more famous Roller songs and the audience are up and dancing along.  It supposedly ends with Shang- A- Lang.  However, after the audience scream for more, McKeown returns to the stage with an exquisite acapella rendition of Unchained Melody and then we end with the classic Bye Bye Baby

With many chances to see the show this year – its well worth a see.  You too will be bopping in the aisles, waving your arms and singing along to the sound of your youth.  Go and see it.

Tour dates available at https://www.lesmckeown.com/concert-dates

Mayflower Theatre, Southampton – 14 March 2017.  Reviewed by Karen Millington Burnet

Wow, what a good evening. Once we had disentangled ourselves from the iconic performances of Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore we were able to enjoy the evening’s performance as much as the original – and even more so for the music. Equal measures of comedy, tension and buckets of sorrow were served up in a fast paced and slick performance.
I think we’ve now cracked the Southampton Mayflower; living in Salisbury, we’re able to enjoy a light bite in the excellent “Pig in the Wall” before sauntering through the lively early evening life of Southampton to the Mayflower which is easy to find, simple to get into and where we always seem to enjoy great seats in the Stalls. Reading a programme full of dark colours in a dim auditorium before the curtain went up was an unnecessary trial – but maybe that’s just my age!
All in all, this evening was another great Mayflower outing. We were bowled over by Carolyn Maitland’s Molly; just a stunning voice and performance – full of energy, genuine emotion and passion. That was, until Jacque Dubois’ Oda Mae quite literally burst onto the scene and almost stole the show as both psychic and comic. The chemistry didn’t quite work between Maitland’s Molly and Moss’s Sam and I attribute this in part to Moss’s relative inexperience; he didn’t quite “get” the body language of loss and grief. In a performance such as this, the absence of a genuine spark between the two lead actors was apparent.

Raspberries to the sound engineers who didn’t do him any favours. The show benefitted from strong supporting performances from Garry Lee Netley’s Subway Ghost and from Tarisha Rommick and Simbi Akande.
Special plaudits must go to the Set designers who produced a masterpiece of props and transitions; almost too clever for the crew who just occasionally could be spied back stage, labouring. The lighting crew must also get special mention for a good effort, especially with the cunning trick of dimming the spot for the ghostly Sam. The only let down was that the spots on the main characters sometimes didn’t quite follow them as they moved around the stage. The music was awesome and the orchestra toiled tirelessly and faultlessly – and sadly hidden completely from the final audience ovation, though thoroughly deserved.

It was just a shame the sound engineers allowed them to overshadow some of the less powerful singing at stages despite Andy Moss’s Sam and Sam Ferriday’s Carl toiling valiantly to be heard in the tsunami of song on a number of occasions. I was wondering how the illusions, which are easy to depict on film, would be undertaken on stage but all worked well and the Illusionist deserves his strawberries for getting this right.
My abiding memories will be of Carolyn Maitland’s Molly tugging at the tear ducts as she journeyed from love to tragedy to farewell. A bright future awaits this stunning talent; no more understudying for her!

RICHARD AND ADAM BRING THE CLASSICS TOUR TO LEEDS

Welsh classical singers, Richard and Adam, are heading to Leeds for an intimate gig at City Varieties Music Hall.

The brothers found fame as finalists on Britain’s Got Talent where they famously sang The Impossible Dream taking them into the top three; The Impossible Dream was then the title of their No.1 album which spent four consecutive weeks at the top of the charts.

One of the most successful acts on BGT they are touring their shows of classical covers to Leeds for one night only on Saturday 25^th March.

“We’re very excited to be playing Leeds and such a beautiful venue,” says Richard. “We’ve heard a lot about the City Varieties; what a delight to play a stage that has hosted so many greats over the last 150 years.”

Richard and Adam are at City Varieties Music Hall on Saturday 25^th March

Tickets are priced at £22.50

Book online at cityvarieties.co.uk or call Box Office on 0113 243 08 08

SON OF A PREACHER MAN

THE FIRST EVER UK TOUR OF THE NEW MUSICAL SON OF A PREACHER MAN WILL COME TO GRAND OPERA HOUSE YORK FOR A ONE WEEK RUN FROM TUESDAY 3 TO SATURDAY 7 OCTOBER  

TICKETS ON GENERAL SALE NOW

Son of a Preacher Man, a heart-warming new musical featuring the soulful music of Dusty Springfield, with a book by Warner Brown and directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood, embarks on a national tour starting at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre from Monday 4 September 2017.

Three broken hearts, one Soho hang-out, and the only man who could ever help them…

Welcome to the Preacher Man, the swinging 1960s Soho joint where the kids danced the night away to the latest crazes and dared to dream of love, while the legendary owner, The Preacher Man himself, dispensed advice to cure the loneliest of hearts.

Only, that was a long time ago and all that remains are the memories, the stories and the myths. Until now, that is, when three random strangers, generations apart but all in need of help with their hopeless love lives, are inexplicably drawn to the site of the original venue. The Preacher Man is long gone, but his son, with help from the wonderful Cappuccino Sisters, might just find it in himself to channel the spirit of The Preacher Man and once more give these three lovesick strangers the look of love.

Featuring the greatest hits of Dusty Springfield, including “The Look Of Love”, “I Only Want To Be With You”, “Spooky” and of course, the classic “Son Of A Preacher Man”, this sparklingly funny and sweetly touching new musical play by internationally renowned writer Warner Brown will have you laughing, crying and singing your heart out to some of the greatest songs ever written.

Directed and choreographed by Strictly Come Dancing’s Craig Revel Horwood, Son of a Preacher Man comes to Grand Opera House York for one week only. You only want to be with us!

Choreographer Craig Revel Horwood said:  

‘I am delighted to bring to life for the very first time this wonderful story created by Warner Brown, with soulful songs from the legendary Dusty Springfield’s iconic music catalogue. I hope that audiences in York will come to love this warm-hearted and uplifting new musical as much as I do.’

General Manager Lizzie Richards at Grand Opera House York, said:

‘Son of a Preacher Man’ will feature many of the greatest hits of Dusty Springfield, including “The Look Of Love”, “I Only Want To Be With You”, “Spooky” and the classic “Son Of A Preacher Man”

It will be the perfect way to start this October.’

Warner Brown works internationally and is well known for his work in musical theatre and straight plays, encompassing both traditional and avant-garde forms.

He wrote ‘the most popular family show of all time’, the arena production Walking With Dinosaurs, creating an entirely new genre of theatrical presentation and winning many international awards.  Currently playing in venues from Madison Square Garden to the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, an episode of CSI: Las Vegas has been based upon the show and it has even been parodied on The Simpsons.

Warner is currently working on multiple developing projects, including the Broadway musicals The Gold Room and The Thomas Crown Affair, both with composer Michael Feinstein; the opera Empty Spaces, with composer Joshua Schmidt, for Florentine Opera in the USA; the musical A Little Danger, with composer Michael Reed, for the St Petersburg Theatre in Russia; and the screenplay for the movie A Minute To Midnight for Bill Kenwright Films. He is part of the consortium, including choreographer Arlene Phillips and musical director Mike Dixon, for the new internet-based project Reality.

Writing credits include Half A Sixpence (UK Tour), The Biograph Girl (Phoenix Theatre), Cinderella (London Palladium), The Black and White Ball, which opened in London and for which The Cole Porter Trusts granted Warner stage rights to the songs of Cole Porter, Flickers (Broadway’s Circle-In-The Square Theater), The House on the Corner (Edinburgh International Festival) and, in addition, Tallulah For A Day and Sleep With Friends. Plays include Laughing Dove, Wavelength and The Prospero Suite, directed by John Doyle.

Warner has worked extensively in Europe, most recently writing the musical Garbo, with music by ‘Meatloaf’ rock legend Jim Steinman. He also has extensive writing credits for the BBC and was Script Associate of the BBC Classic Musicals Series, for which he adapted fourteen musicals featuring many international stars.  Warner was the subject of the BBC Two TV documentary The Making Of A Musical. Warner is co-sponsor of the international music prize The S&S Award, named in honour of his late parents.

Craig Revel Horwood is a well-known face on television in the UK and now internationally for his role as a judge on all fifteen series of BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing and for directing and appearing as a judge in the Live Tour.

Craig’s recent credits as director and choreographer include the current UK tour of Sister Act, the previous UK tours Brother Love Travelling Salvation Show and Chess; for television, How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? and Just the Two of Us; and for film, the feature film Paddington 2. In addition, he recently directed the all-star concert version of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies at the Royal Albert Hall. Other credits as a theatre director and choreographer are: West Side Story (Prince Edward), Miss Saigon (Drury Lane), Hey, Mr Producer! (Lyceum), Spend Spend Spend! (Piccadilly Theatre; Olivier nomination for Best Choreography), Pal Joey (Chichester Festival Theatre), Guys and Dolls (Sheffield Crucible), Paradise Moscow (Opera North), Carmen (Holland Park), My One and Only (Piccadilly Theatre; Olivier nomination for Best Choreography), Beautiful and Damned (Lyric Theatre), Arms and the Cow (Opera North), The Ballet Boyz: Yumbo Vs Nonino (Festival Hall, Sadler’s Wells, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden), The Hot Mikado (Watermill Theatre and UK Tour; Martin Guerre (Watermill Theatre), Sunset Boulevard (Watermill Theatre and Comedy Theatre, West End), Spend Spend Spend! (Watermill Theatre and UK Tour) and Copacabana (Watermill Theatre).

He recently returned to his roots as a performer in musical theatre, starring as Miss Hannigan in the UK national tour of Annie, and in Christmas 2016 as Captain Hook in Peter Pan at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley. Other performing credits include Captain Hook in Peter Pan at the Orchard, Dartford in 2014 and at the Swan, High Wycombe in 2015. Previously, Craig starred as the Wicked Queen in Snow White at Venue Cymru, Llandudno in 2009, The Hawth, Crawley in 2010 and The Orchard, Dartford 2011. He reprised his role at The Swan Theatre, High Wycombe in 2012 and the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend in 2013.

Amongst his numerous TV credits, highlights include winning the BBC Two series Maestro at the Opera, the final of which saw him conduct Act II of La Bohème at the Royal Opera House. He was also a grand finalist on the hit cooking show, Celebrity MasterChef and participated in and won Ready, Steady, Cook.

Book                                                                      Warner Brown

Director & Choreographer                           Craig Revel Horwood

Set & Costume Designer                              Morgan Large

Musical Supervisor & Arrangements      Paul Herbert

Lighting Designer                                            Richard G Jones

Sound Designer                                                Richard Brooker

Associate Director & Choreographer      David James Hulston

Casting Director                                               Anne Vosser

Son of a Preacher Man is produced by Brian Berg, John Sachs, Andrew Berg & Kimberley Sachs for

Eclipse Live, Michael Park for The Infinite Group, Paul Tyrer & Jamie Clark for TBO Productions,

Churchill Theatre Bromley and executive producers Andrew Green and Ben White, all on behalf of Dusty Touring Ltd.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

www.sonofapreachermanmusical.com/

Pure Fluke Theatre presents:

Disney’s hit new musical ALADDIN, which opened in the West End in June 2016 is pleased to announce its first dedicated Autism-Friendly Performance will take place on Tuesday 29 August 2017. Tickets are now on sale. It follows the success of previous such performances at The Lion King, whose upcoming Autism-Friendly Performance on 4 June 2017 has now sold out.

The Autism-Friendly Performance of ALADDIN is specially designed to make the West End production more accessible to autistic people. Disney Theatrical Productions will work closely with The National Autistic Society, the UK’s leading charity for autistic people and their families, to deliver the performance.

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how people perceive the world and interact with others. There are around 700,000 autistic people in the UK. Although everyone on the autism spectrum is different, people may be under or oversensitive to sounds, touch, tastes, smells, light or colours, which can make everyday life extremely challenging. They can also find social situations and unexpected changes a challenge, which can sometimes lead to extreme levels of anxiety.

Nancy Shakerley, Development and Education Manager for Disney Theatrical Group, said:“We understand that Autism Friendly Performances can make theatregoing a more accessible and relaxed experience for people with autism as well as their family and friends.

Building on the success of the last three Autism Friendly Performances at The Lion King, we are thrilled to continue our partnership with the National Autistic Society in holding our first Autism Friendly Performance at Aladdin this summer, just one year after opening in the West End.”

Daniel Cadey, Autism Access Development Manager at the National Autistic Society, said:“We were delighted to be offered the opportunity to work with Disney Theatrical Productions and the Prince Edward Theatre on this hugely successful show.

“There are around 700,000 autistic people in the UK, and many struggle to cope with unfamiliar places and everyday sights and sounds which others are able to filter out, such as artificial lighting, background music or traffic noise.

“Autistic people and their families tell us that they would love to visit the theatre, but because of sensory issues and anxiety in unfamiliar surroundings, they are prevented from doing so. Aladdin’s production team have taken great care in adapting the show, including having a ‘visual story’ online which can help autistic people prepare for their visit in advance. This means that for some of the audience on 29 August, this will be the very first time that they are able to experience the thrill of a live performance.” 

These dedicated Autism-Friendly Performances of ALADDIN include modifications to the booking process, performance and the theatre environment, including:

• The theatre’s foyer includes designated quiet and activity areas; staffed by experts in autism throughout the performance should anyone need to leave their seats.
• Slight adjustments are made to the performance itself, including the reduction of jarring sounds or strobe lighting that face the audience.
• The cast of ALADDIN along with Prince Edward Theatre box office and front of house staff have been given training to understand the needs of an audience made up of adults and children who are autistic.
• A specific website has been set up for this performance, linking to a dedicated booking page. The website includes a downloadable ‘visual story’ to help people with autism understand the process of a visit to the theatre, thus aiding their comprehension of the experience and reducing anxiety by explaining each step from arriving in the foyer to the final curtain call.

Audience members can find out more information and purchase tickets athttp://www.aladdinthemusical.co.uk/autismfriendly. Tickets are sold at a specially reduced rate and can be selected on a virtual map of the auditorium.

Now in its third record-breaking year on Broadway at the New Amsterdam Theatre, where it has been seen by more than 1.5 million people, ALADDIN’s global presence has grown to five productions on three continents. The show is now playing at Tokyo’s Dentsu Shiki Theatre Umi, Stage Theatre Neue Flora in Hamburg and Capitol Theatre in Sydney, ahead of moving to Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne in April 2017.

ALADDIN features the timeless songs from the 1992 animated film as well as new music written by Tony®, Olivier© and eight-time Academy Award® winner Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, Newsies, Little Shop Of Horrors). With lyrics from Olivier Award and two-time Oscar®winner Howard Ashman (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid), three-time Tony and Olivier Award, three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice (Evita, Aida), and four-time Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer), and a book by Beguelin, Aladdin is directed and choreographed by Tony and Olivier Award winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon).

Dean John-Wilson plays the role of Aladdin alongside Jade Ewen as Jasmine in the new musical based on the classic Academy Award®-winning animated film. Broadway cast member Trevor Dion NicholasLondon stage debut as Genie and is joined by Don Gallagher as Jafar, Peter Howeas Iago, Irvine Iqbal as the Sultan, Nathan Amzi as Babkak, Stephen Rahman-Hughes as Kassim and Rachid Sabitri as Omar.

LISTINGS

Disney’s ALADDIN – an Autism-Friendly Performance

Tuesday 29 August at 1.30pm
Tickets on sale
http://www.aladdinthemusical.co.uk/autismfriendly/

ALADDIN
Prince Edward Theatre
28 Old Compton St
London W1D 4HS

Box Office number: 0844 482 5151
www.aladdinthemusical.co.uk

Facebook: Aladdin London
Twitter: @AladdinLondon
Instagram: @AladdinLondon
#AladdinLondon

LISTINGS
Joan Vázquez ‘Something’s Coming – A Sondheim Tribute’
Conceived, directed and performed by Joan Vazquez
Monday, 26th June 2017, 7.00pm
Live at Zédel
The Crazy Coqs
20 Sherwood Street, London W1

BOOK TICKETS
Tickets: £20
Website: https://www.brasseriezedel.com/crazy-coqs
ON SALE NOW!

Vincent Simone & Flavia Cacace

return in their hottest show yet…

TANGO MODERNO

Tango superstars’ new show to capture the heat of the street

Strictly superstars Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace return to the stage with their most audacious and thrilling show yet, Tango Moderno. The production opens at the Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury on Thursday 7^th September, ahead of a major UK Tour.

Tango is the rhythm of the city, the heat of the streets and the pulse of life. Tango Moderno is the irresistible hot new stage spectacular from Vincent and Flavia: dance partners for over two decades, world champions, Strictly favourites and acclaimed West End stage stars, whose previous productions Midnight Tango, Dance Til Dawn and The Last Tango have all been acclaimed, sell-out hits.

Having originally intended The Last Tango to be their farewell tour, Flavia commented:

“As we were creating our last show, we developed a number of new routines with so much raw choreography. It was thrilling to still be discovering new numbers for Vincent and I to dance, but we just couldn’t accommodate them in the production. We toured the country with the show and were overwhelmed by the support from our audiences and from people asking us to continue. Vincent and I spoke at the end of the tour and we decided that we wanted to continue; we love dancing together, we are having so much fun and a year after our last UK tour, we are more excited than ever to share this new work and show with our audiences.”

The new production fuses together Ballroom, Latin, and Argentine tango to give you a performance that smoulders with desire.  With classic steps, they create a Tango for today.

Tango Moderno is directed by Olivier Award winning choreographer and director Karen Bruce and produced by Adam Spiegel Productions (Motown The Musical, The Producers, Dance ‘Til Dawn, Midnight Tango, Love Me Tender).

Website:      www.TangoModerno.com

Facebook:    facebook.com/vincentandflavialive

Twitter:         @vfvincentflavia

  TANGO MODERNO – 2017 UK TOUR

Thursday 7 – Saturday 9 September                 Box Office: 0844 871 7607

Aylesbury Waterside                                                               Website: www.atgtickets.com

Tuesday 12 – Saturday 16 September                              Box Office: 0844 871 3012

Bristol Hippodrome                                                  Website: www.atgtickets.com

Tuesday 19 – Saturday 23 September                              Box Office: 0844 871 3011

Birmingham New Alexandra Theatre                                Website: www.atgtickets.com

Monday 25 – Saturday 30 September                              Box Office: 08448 11 21 21

Newcastle Theatre Royal                                       Website: www.theatreroyal.co.uk

Tuesday 3 – Saturday 7 October                                         Box Office: 020 3285 6000

Bromley, Churchill Theatre                                    Website: www.churchilltheatre.co.uk

Tuesday 17 – Saturday 21 October                     Box Office: 0844 871 3018

Manchester Opera House                                     Website: www.atgtickets.com

Tuesday 24 – Saturday 28 October                     Box Office: 01253 290190

The Grand Theatre, Blackpool                                             Website: www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk

Tuesday 31 October – Saturday 4 November                Box Office: 0844 871 7645

Woking, New Victoria Theatre                                             Website: www.atgtickets.com

Tuesday 14 – Saturday 18 November                               Box Office: 0844 871 7652

Milton Keynes Theatre                                                           Website: www.atgtickets.com

Monday 20 – Wednesday 22 November                         Box Office: 0844 871 3022

Sunderland Empire                                                   Website: www.atgtickets.com

Thursday 23 – Saturday 25 November                              Box Office: 0844 871 3014

Edinburgh Playhouse                                                               Website: www.atgtickets.com

Further tour dates in 2017 and dates through 2018 to be announced soon